American West and Industrialization

Part 3: Westward Expansion and Native Americans

 Cultural Genocide
Article 7 of the "United Nations draft declaration on the As more people in the United
rights of indigenous peoples" defines "Cultural States moved westward,
genocide": Native Americans lost their
land and were forced onto
Indigenous peoples have the collective and individual right reservations.
not to be subjected to ethnocide and cultural genocide,
including prevention of and redress for: Native Americans living on the
Great Plains lost their main
(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving source of food, shelter, and
them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their clothing as buffalo were
cultural values or ethnic identities; almost hunted to extinction.
(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing Many Native Americans even lost
them of their lands, territories or resources; their lives in battles against
(c) Any form of population transfer which has the aim or United States troops.
effect of violating or undermining any of their rights; In an attempt to assimilate Native
(d) Any form of assimilation or integration by other cultures Americans into American
or ways of life imposed on them by legislative, culture, Native American
administrative or other measures; children were forced into
American boarding schools.
(e) Any form of propaganda directed against them.
Indian Appropriations Act
In 1851, the U.S. government passed
the Indians Appropriations Act,
creating the first reservations for
Native Americans.
Native American fought against being
forced onto the reservations.
The U.S. government and the Native
Americans fought a series of wars
known as the American Indian
Wars.
The Native Americans then had to rely
on the government for food and
housing.
 Sand Creek Massacre
The Sand Creek Massacre took place in
southeastern Colorado on November 29, 1864.
Colonel John Chivington attacked an encampment
of Cheyenne and Arapaho near Sand Creek.
Chivington led this attack as an act of revenge
against Native Americans who had attacked
white settlers in the area.
Because Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle had sent
many of his men to hunt, there were few people
who could defend the camp when it was
attacked.
The Native Americans put up a white flag to
indicate surrender, but Chivington ignored this
action.
Between 150 and 200 Cheyenne and Arapaho
were killed, including elderly men, women, and
children.
Treaty of Fort Laramie
In 1868, the Lakota tribe and the U.S. government
signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie.
This treaty gave the Lakota ownership of the Black
Hills in South Dakota and Wyoming.
In 1874, George Custer led an expedition into the
Black Hills, and gold was discovered near what
is now Custer, South Dakota.
This started the Black Hills Gold Rush, and many
people came to the area hoping to strike it rich.
In 1876, the Homestake deposit was found, and the
town of Deadwood was established.
Thousands of miners were on the Native
Americans' territory, disregarding the treaty.
This increased the tension that existed between the
United States and the Native Americans.
 The Art of War
The Art of War by Sun Tsu; Chapter 3
5. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like
swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still
remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.
6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he
captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without
lengthy operations in the field.
7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without
losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by
stratagem.
8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to
one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.
9. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the
enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.
10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must
be captured by the larger force.
 Battle of Little Big Horn
Also known as Custer's Last
Stand, this battle took
place in 1876.
It was one of the Native
Americans' last victories
over U.S. troops.
Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy
Horse led over 2,500
warriors against 264 U.S.
troops led by Lieutenant
Colonel George Custer.
Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce
The Nez Perce lived in Oregon.
In the late 1870s, they were
forced to move to Idaho.
In 1877, Chief Joseph led a
group of Nez Perce through
Idaho, Wyoming, and
Montana, hoping to reach
freedom in Canada.
Less than 50 miles from the
border, U.S. troops
surrounded the group, and
Chief Joseph surrendered.
 A Century of Dishonor
In 1881, Helen Hunt Jackson
published her book, A Century of
Dishonor.
In the book, Jackson details the
injustices that the U.S. government
inflicted upon the Native Americans.
During its first 100 years as a country,
the U.S. government broke treaties
and forced Native Americans off
their lands and onto reservations.
Jackson's book brought attention to
these inequities and influenced a
reform movement in Native
American policy.
Dawes Severalty Act
The Dawes Severalty Act was passed in
1887.
Under this act, the U.S. government broke
up the Native American reservations
and gave Native American families
homesteads.
The families were required to live on the
land for 25 years and were required to
give up their Native American traditions.
At the end of 25 years, the families would
own the land and become U.S. citizens.
As a result, Native Americans lost much of
their land and were given land in the
desert that was not good for farming.
 Battle of Wounded Knee
In December of 1890, the last major armed
conflict between Native Americans and
the U.S. took place on the Pine Ridge
reservation.
The conflict is known as the Battle of
Wounded Knee or the Wounded Knee
Massacre.
It started after a warrior’s gun accidentally
went off while U.S. soldiers were
collecting the Sioux’s guns.
In the chaos following the shot, soldiers and
other warriors began to fire their guns
and many Native Americans began to
flee.
Both women and children were gunned down
as they ran to escape the fighting.
By the time peace was restored, over 150
Native Americans were dead.
Ghost Dance
Prior to the massacre, the Lakota
participated in a spiritual
ceremony called the "Ghost
Dance."
They believed that, by doing so,
their lost relatives would rejoin
them and the world that they had
once experienced would be
restored.
This ceremony caused tension
between white settlers and the
Native Americans, and this
tension was one of the causes for
the massacre at Wounded Knee
Creek.